Post-war system still backs NE Asian peace

Source:Global Times Published: 2013-12-1 23:53:01

Yesterday marked the 70th anniversary of the Cairo Declaration, which was issued on December 1, 1943 by China, the US and Britain to toll the bell for the Japanese imperialists. It clearly stated that "all the territories Japan had stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa, and Pescadores" shall be restored to the Chinese, and that "Japan will also be expelled from all other territories she has taken by violence and greed."

On July 26, 1945, China, the US and Britain reiterated the spirit of the Cairo Declaration by signing the Potsdam Proclamation, which urged Japan to implement the Cairo Declaration. Both have been the cornerstone in shaping the post-war East Asian pattern.

Now Japanese officials rarely mention the Cairo Declaration and Japanese right-wing forces claim it illegal. What it often mentions nowadays is the San Francisco Peace Treaty which Japan claimed officially ended WWII upon its signing in 1951 between Japan and victorious nations led by the US.

Although there was some logic that the Peace Treaty served to end WWII, the West and the East was divided then, and Japan supported the US in the Korean War (1950-53). The treaty echoed the situation in Northeast Asia at that time. China did not sign this treaty and has never accepted it. The part that concerns China's interests is illegitimate.

Upon the 70th anniversary of the Cairo Declaration, a basic fact needs to be re-affirmed: The result of WWII and the post-war order are the bolster of peace and stability in Northeast Asia and any moves trying to break or amend them will bring chaos in the region.

Over these years, Japan has been trying to overturn the past by making use of the Yasukuni Shrine and ignoring the Cairo Declaration in the Diaoyu Islands dispute. It confronts Russia over the Southern Kurils (called the Northern Territories in Japan). All these moves have made the regional situation more complex.

Japan has been resentful toward the result of WWII. But it dares not provoke the US. Instead, it makes provocations against countries the US keeps high alert on. Now it intensifies its relations with China over the Diaoyu Islands dispute because China is the one that the US keeps the closest watch on.

No matter how selfish the US' western Pacific strategies are, maintaining the post-war order in the region is in the common interest of all regional players, except Japan. China, Russia and the Koreas have no intention of breaking that order. The US would not support Japan's expansion either, as the US' strategic aim of using Japan is to only maintain its own interest in the western Pacific.

Japan should forget about maneuvering the strategic confrontation between China and the US and then reap the spoils.

Meanwhile, we should make clear to the US and the West that the conflicts between Japan and China and other Northeast Asian countries all stem from Japan's wrong attitude toward the result of WWII. Japan is only forced to accept the military outcome of WWII and tolerate the US forces on its land, but holds a strong attitude toward resisting other results and tries to amend them by seeking every opportunity.

China's respect for post-war order is the strategic support for regional stability. If the US does not treat order seriously, China will not hold back.

Related news: 70 years of Cairo Declaration


Posted in: Editorial

blog comments powered by Disqus